Battery Cell Discharge Routing to Contain Thermal Runaway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery systems lack effective strategies to mitigate thermal runaway propagation, which can lead to widespread damage and destruction due to the spread of excessive heat from defective battery cells, often resulting in fires or explosions.
Innovation Solution
A preventive battery discharge system that includes an energy sink device and a control module to identify and discharge electrical energy from at-risk battery cells to a physically separated energy sink, which dissipates or stores the energy to prevent thermal runaway propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If battery systems use high energy density battery cells to store large-scale electrical energy, then the energy storage capacity is improved, but the risk of thermal runaway and fire hazards increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into multiple battery cell assemblies that are electrically isolated from each other. The discharge paths are segmented so that each assembly can be independently discharged through separate switching units, preventing thermal runaway propagation between assemblies while maintaining high energy density storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
A control module acts as an intermediary between the battery cell assemblies and the discharge paths. It monitors thermal conditions and selectively activates switching units to discharge specific assemblies, serving as a mediator that prevents harmful thermal runaway from spreading while preserving the energy storage function of non-affected assemblies
2Power
If thermal runaway occurs in one battery cell assembly, then heat is released, but this heat can propagate to neighboring assemblies causing widespread destruction
Solution Approach 1:
Discharge paths and switching units are pre-configured for each battery cell assembly before thermal runaway occurs. When thermal runaway is detected in one assembly, the control module immediately activates the corresponding switching unit to discharge that assembly through its dedicated path, preventing heat propagation to neighboring assemblies and maintaining system integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful thermal energy from affected battery cell assemblies is extracted and redirected through dedicated discharge paths to external resistors. This extraction process removes the heat source from the battery system, preventing propagation to neighboring assemblies while preserving the overall system
3Reliability
If a preventive discharge system is implemented to mitigate thermal runaway, then safety is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The preventive discharge system is segmented into modular components: individual switching units for each battery cell assembly, separate discharge paths, and distributed temperature sensors. This segmentation allows the safety function to be implemented without requiring a completely complex centralized system, as each module operates independently under control of the control module
Solution Approach 2:
Each battery cell assembly has its own dedicated discharge path and switching unit that can be independently activated. The system serves itself by using its own internal components to mitigate thermal runaway, rather than requiring external intervention, thereby improving safety while limiting the increase in complexity to only the necessary control infrastructure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively contains thermal runaway events within individual units, reducing damage, downtime, and fire hazards by safely dissipating or storing electrical energy from at-risk cells, thereby preventing further propagation.
Implementation Method 1
an energy sink device in an energy sink device housing, the energy sink device connectable with the plurality of battery cell assemblies by a switching unit, that is configured to receive (absorb and/or dissipate) electrical energy discharged from at least one second battery cell assembly
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
A preventive battery discharge system (100) for a battery system (110) with a plurality of battery cell assemblies (121, 122) in a battery system housing (111), the preventive battery discharge system comprising an interface (130) for receiving a thermal runaway indication signal for a first battery cell assembly (121) of the plurality of the battery cell assemblies; an energy sink device (140) in an energy sink device housing (141), the energy sink device connectable with the plurality of battery cell assemblies by a switching unit (150), that is configured to receive electrical energy discharged from at least one second battery cell assembly (122) of the plurality of the battery cell assemblies; and a control module (160) configured to identify the at least one second battery cell assembly to be discharged based upon the thermal runaway indication signal received via the interface; and configured to control the switching unit to discharge the at least one second battery cell assembly and to transport energy from the at least one second battery cell assembly to the energy sink device after a thermal runaway indication signal has been received; wherein the energy sink device is physically separated from the plurality of battery cell assemblies.